The Heart of the Cross - John 19

John 19 The Heart of the Cross Summer Hill Church 19 April 2019 1. Where were you? a. Wednesday was one of those days when you remember where you were when you heard the news i. this week watching the awful video of the burning of Notre Dame, it was terrible, and many will remember where they were. There are moments that imprint themselves in your memory that can define who you are, and what makes you tick. For good or for bad, Events like this can be formational and your relationship to it all is etched in your memory forever b. for me, one of the defining moments of my life was in year 4, i. when an Eagle landed ii. and a man took a small step of his own, and a giant leap for us all iii. I remember the classroom, the small B&W TV, who I sitting with, and the intense excitement of the moment. c. We heard in Karen’s reading about the people who were there at the crucificixion. And looking at them will help us understand ourselves, and what all this matters to us..So we start with a group I call 2. The Mockers a. The Soldiers i. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. vv1–3 ii. the soldiers took him and dressed him up as a mockery of a king. (1) purple for royalty, but not with a real crown, a twist of thorns forced down on his head, in pain, not in perceived glory iii. they taunted and ridiculed Jesus. (1) but I don’t think they picked him out in particular other than he claimed to be a king. They would have had similar disdain to all their condemned prisoners. Because they had no idea of who he really was. iv. I remember visiting some friends in Connecticut some years ago, and at a men’s breakfast I was introduced to Geoff. We had a positive, though shallow, chat. (1) Later my friend Tom told be that Geoff was the CEO of the largest hedge fund in the US - and he was worth Billions. (a) if only I had known…. v. and I think many of us are in this position. We think that the whole Jesus thing is way overblown, quaint and just a bit ridiculous. That people would try and base their lives on a story about a jew who lived and died 2000 years ago. But we just miss the significance. We think that (1) Jesus is just something to be ignored, a simple bump in the road of life that means almost nothing. b. c. Pilate i. or then there’s Pilate (1) Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” vv4–5 (2) to Pilate, Jesus is just an annoyance. He’s no real threat in and of himself, he just wants a quiet life (a) the more uprisings and civil unrest that occur in his prefecture, the less his career advancement will be. (i) He even tried to release Jesus - to do the right thing 1) From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, v12 (ii) but to keep the peace, because the Jewish leaders were so insistent, he gave in because it was too hard to do the right thing. (3) he is just like so many others of us. (a) We have our lives mapped out, and we want to get through it and have things go to plan without too much stress. We’ll do the right thing as long as it sin’t too hard to do. (i) and the whole religion thing is just so messy and annoying (b) Becoming someone who follows Jesus may affect my plans, my career, my family and my life. I just don’t need that sort of stress. (4) That’s Pilate - and that’s so us isn’t it. (a) We want what we want, and we want it with the minimum of fuss. (5) Jesus becomes at best a distraction and at worst, a threat. 3. The Enemies a. The Jewish leaders i. Then there are those are actively aggressive to Jesus. (1) As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” v6 ii. or again in v12 (1) ...the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” v12 iii. then in v15 comes a real zinger. (1) But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. v15 iv. the duplicity of that is astonishing. They hated Rome, they hated Herod who was appointed by Rome, but in order to get rid of Jesus they claimed that their only king was Caesar, as if they accepted and wanted him. (1) it’s a bit counter-intuitive that the most vehement opponents of Jesus are religious people. v. but it was true then, and it is just as true now. There are people who would say they are Christians, but don’t want anything to do with the Jesus of history, of the Jesus of the cross and resurrection (1) and there are those who would claim to be Christian who deny that either his death or resurrection actually happened (a) or that they accomplished what Jesus and the apostles said they accomplished, the forgiveness of our sin, the turning aside of God’s wrath, and the pouring out of new life through his resurrection. (2) and it’s so often the really religious that oppose truth, that want to ignore the teachings of Jesus, and need to be careful that we are not like that. (3) but there is another religion that also produces opposition called atheism. (4) which is as much a religion as any other system of behaviour. (a) and that opposes Jesus too.. (i) Richard Dawkins said in 2017 “Christianity was the world’s most evil religion - rapidly overtaken by Islam.” (5) he feels it’s more than irrelevant, which is what many feel, but it’s actively dangerous. Because it’s believing a fantasy. vi. and perhaps that’s where you are. You think that being a Christian is not just a neutral thing, but causes harm. And so with the religious leaders as strange bedfellows you want to get rid of it, all except the innocuous bits like being nice and kind. So Jesus himself is more than a nuisance, he needs to be done away with. 4. The spectators a. Secret followers i. Then there were those who were secret followers of Jesus (1) Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.. vv38–39 ii. those who like what he said, even want to live by it. (1) but are fearful - fearful of the cost, fearful for their own position (a) and some of us are like this too. We know it’s true inside, we believe it, but we really don’t want to show it, because of the cost. Because we are fearful. And yet you can’t walk away despite how you feel. (i) Jesus is a love/fear relationship for you. b. Family i. Then there were the family and followers, who were there at the crucifixion, but powerless to do anything. (1) Those who loved Jesus, and watched him as he willingly and purposely went through the torture and the trial to his death. ii. terrified, distraught, not knowing what to do. (1) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. (2) When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. vv25–27 iii. And while they didn’t know what to do, Jesus did. In the midst of this most awful of moments, he thought of them, he cared for his mother. Made sure she was looked after by asking John himself to look after her. (1) which gives us a little window into the real story of the cross. 5. The Heart of the Cross a. fulfilling scripture i. The opening lines to the song Jesus Christ Superstar say: (1) Every time I look at you I don't understand (2) Why you let the things you did get so out of hand (3) You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned ii. and it can easily feel that, it can feel that the end of Jesus’ life was a mistake (1) an out of control series of events, that Jesus got caught up into iii. but that is so not what the Bible shows (1) did you notice that 4 times in our reading, the fulfilment of Scriptures is mentioned (a) v24 (i) This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled v24 1) fulfilling Psalm 28 (b) v28 (i) and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, v28 1) fulfilling Psalm 69 (c) and v36 and 37 (i) fulfilling Exodus 12 and Zech 12 (2) None of this was unplanned, none of this was outside his intention. (a) it was all driven by a higher plan and purpose b. it is finished i. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. v30 ii. and it is capped by the single word in the original that we translate it is finished. (1) it is over, when he died. The plan for his death, that was to bring forgiveness to the world iii. the death that he had been talking about since ch12 of John (1) the death of the one true passover, whose bones were not broken, iv. Jesus was there on the cross taking the punishment that we all deserve (1) because we ignore him, or because we consider him a roadbump, or even evil. Someone that has nothing or should have nothing to do with us v. he died for us. He died that we might be forgiven all our rebellion and sin. (1) where was Jesus? He was on the cross for you. All that we need for forgiveness is done, all that we needed for salvation is completed. It is finished. c. So 6. Where were you? a. in one way we were all there, jeering with the soldiers, or yelling with the religious leaders for his death. Fearful to follow, or fearful of what it might mean to our life and our plans and our desires. i. we were all Pilates, or soldiers, or religious people, or Josephs. And the great news is that despite whoever you were, Jesus Christ hung on the cross and died for your forgiveness. b. Yes, if we had been there, you would have been found in one of the groups that brought him to the cross but you were somewhere even more important. i. remember, he was in control, he did it on purpose, he did it because of his love. (1) the place you were, that all of us were, was not just in the crowds, but in Jesus heart. (2) he was not on the cross because of circumstances beyond his control, but because he loves you, even to the point of dying for you. c. so how should we respond? What should we do? i. thanksgiving should be the very first response, gratitude, joy, (1) because he loved us despite what we were like, and his death brings us freedom from our sins. So celebrate Easter. (2) Remember this is GOOD Friday not black Friday, though in some ways it should be. And speak those thanksgivings to anyone who will listen. ii. and if you don’t yet know this salvation for yourself, then you can take that for yourself today. Just ask God to forgive you because Jesus died for you. (1) you can know that for yourself today - talk to me or to Chris - connection card. PRAY